Some of you may know Nona Nelson, the author of the Happy Wag pet blog here on Roanoke.com. What you don’t know is she is the glue that holds the newsroom together.
You need batteries? Nona’s got ‘em. Fighting with a testy printer? Nona can tame it. Need hot cocoa? It has magically appeared beside the coffee machine.

That’s what happened this morning, the third dark, dreary morning of the week. Beside the coffee machine and its indispensable hot water tap were two boxes of Swiss Miss, one with extra marshmallows and one with French vanilla, thanks to Nona.

If I have now got you craving a cozy, creamy, chocolaty treat, maybe you’d like to kick it up a notch and try this Nestle recipe I got in the mail. Nestle always seems to send some of the best recipes. Maybe because many of them involve chocolate…..

Photo and recipe: Nestle USA

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When I see a Nestle recipe card in the mail, my pulse always quickens just slightly. I know I’m no chocoholic, but their recipes are almost always worth the walk to the mailbox.
It was one of Nestle’s cards, after all, that taught me how to make Chocolate-Stuffed Strawberries. Now that’s a recipe that always wows friends and family.
This time, the Nestle folks offer up a recipe for a very unusual chocolate tart that is infused with the heady scent of rosemary. If you aren’t that adventurous, you may substitute fresh mint.
I’m betting it’s probably delicious either way.

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Just look at that slice of pure deliciousness.
That, my friends, is a Pumpkin Flan with Gingersnap Crust.
Ooooooh yeah, you read that right.
This recipe and picture have been sitting on my desk all week taunting me with its golden perfection and caramel smoothness.
I am not ashamed to say that I have planned out my entire Saturday evening around this pumpkin flan. I plan to make it Saturday morning and have some friends over for dinner on Saturday night. Then, after dinner, I will dazzle them with this fine dessert.
I can just see the stars in their eyes as I emerge from the kitchen with the flan. But since it does call for packing on the crust and then inverting onto a serving plate at the last minute, let’s all hope I don’t come out of the kitchen with a shapeless pile of goo and crumbs.
What shall I make for dinner that would be an appropriate precursor to this fab slab of goodness? Perhaps a roast beef in a cooking bag!

Photo courtesy of Nestle USA.

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